November 29, 2001

San Francisco Human Rights Commission Hears Presentation About The Armenian Genocide

	Prof. Astourian Addressing the Commission

San Francisco, October 25 - The Armenian Genocide took center stage at the semi-monthly meeting of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.  Dr. Stephan Astourian and Mr. Richard Hagopian, a genocide survivor, captivated their audience with very informative and at times emotionally compelling testimony.  Several community members and activists turned out to listen as the Commissioners received a very insightful introduction to the conditions which led to the first genocide of the 20th Century, as well as its consequences upon one of its survivors.

A presentation on this topic was a first for the governing body, but it is likely to serve as a springboard for further discussion and action.  Mayor Willie Brown appointed Commissioner Haig Baghdassarian as the first Armenian-American Human Rights Commissioner during the mayor’s appearance at a Bay Area community Genocide remembrance event on April 24, 2001.  Upon learning of the newly appointed commissioner’s background and activism relating to Armenian Genocide recognition, several fellow commissioners expressed interest in learning more about the Genocide.

The presentation began with a screening of a video clip that had originally aired on ABC’s World News Tonight in April 1999.  The video served to provide a general overview of the Genocide to the commissioners and the audience.  Subsequently, Professor Astourian filled in the gaps by tracing the roots of the murder of the Armenian nation, during which he elaborated upon the commonalities among various genocidal acts throughout the 20th century. 

Since 1998, Professor Astourian has been the William Saroyan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies at U.C. Berkeley, where he teaches courses on Armenian, Caucasian, and Central Asian History. Dr. Astourian was born and educated in France, where he attended the University of Paris I, Sorbonne, graduating with first class honors.  He later earned a Ph.D. in Armenian and Caucasian Studies at UCLA.  Professor Astourian taught at California State University, Long Beach, then at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and UCLA prior to accepting his position at Berkeley.

	Mr. Richard Hagopian (Armenian Genocide Survivor)

Following Professor Astourian’s synopsis, Mr. Richard Hagopian addressed the Commission, and recounted his experience during the Genocide.  Mr. Hagopian, born in 1912 in the Van region, brought to life the horror that he had felt as a young child 85 years ago.  He tearfully spoke about the murder of his father, and went on to describe a courageous escape during which his mother was mortally wounded and his only sibling was killed. 

Mr. Hagopian later immigrated to the United States, and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to live a full life in his adopted country.  Shortly after settling in the United States, Richard Hagopian became a founding member of the Armenian Youth Federation in 1933 when Karekin Njdeh founded the organization.  He was an active member of the organization, serving as a Central Executive board member during the organization’s formative years.  Richard Hagopian later relocated to California, where he left a significant mark upon the financial world while employed by General Electric.  Along with two other engineers, Mr. Hagopian developed the check coding system, which is still in use today, while working on a project for the Bank of America.

Following the scheduled speakers, Commissioner Baghdassarian expressed his gratitude to his fellow commissioners for hearing the presentation on the issue of the Armenian Genocide.  Baghdassarian also expressed gratitude for the very important contributions made towards uncovering the truth about the genocide by Richard Kloian, Executive Director of Armenian Genocide Resource Center, as well the Armenian National Committee, which was represented by San Francisco members, Roxanne Makasdjian, Raffi Momjian, and Ara Makasdjian.  Baghdassarian concluded the presentation by expressing his hope that the commission’s interest in the Armenian Genocide could help in the efforts to achieve broader recognition of the Armenian Genocide.